RealGM Wiretap

Warriors, Ellis Settle Sexual Harassment Lawsuit

Jun 8, 2012 9:49 AM

The Warriors and Monta Ellis settled a sexual harassment lawsuit out of court in May.

Erika Smith, a former community relations director for the team, agreed to a deal that ended litigation of a case in which she claimed, among other things, that Ellis sent her a picture of his penis in a text message.

Details of the settlement agreement were not revealed Thursday as Smith's attorney said he was not allowed to discuss details. Neither team representatives nor Ellis' agent could be reached for comment.

"All I am allowed to say is the case is dismissed; you have to read into that what you want," said Burton Boltuch, Smith's attorney. "When you settle a case, you always dismiss it."

Smith claimed in her lawsuit that the Ellis harassment began in November 2010 when she began receiving sexually suggestive text messages from Ellis on her Warriors-issued cellphone. The messages were sent from a "secret cellphone" with a 601 area code that was kept by the team's equipment manager and registered to Ellis' grandmother, the lawsuit claimed.